Emergence Of Farouk Yahaya May End Careers Of 25 Senior Officers

President Muhammadu Buhari ‘s appointment of Major General Farouk Yahaya as new Chief of Army Staff, may end the careers of about 25 major generals who are his seniors.

These Officers attended the Regular Course 35 and Regular Course 36, making them seniors to the new Army Chief who attended course 37.

Yahaya appointment came one week after the demise of the former COAS, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 others in a plane crash in Kaduna.

Until his appointment, Yahaya was the Theatre Commander, Operation Hadin Kai, responsible for counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in the North-East.

Yahaya’s emergence may however spell the end of the careers of about 25 major generals  who were of the Regular Course 35 and Regular Course 36.

Yahaya’s appointment was contained in a statement by the Acting Director, Defence Information, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu.

The statement reads, “The Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Major General Farouk Yahaya as the new Chief of Army Staff.

“Prior to his appointment Major General Yahaya was the General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army and the incumbent Theatre Commander of the Counter Terrorism Counter Insurgency military outfit in the North East code named Operation Hadin Kai.”

There are concerns, however, that following military tradition, the new COAS, who is junior to many senior officers, cannot superintend over them.

Yahaya is also junior to the other service chiefs as the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor is of Regular Course 34 Intake; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal  Gambo and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao,  both being Regular Course 35 intakes.

Yahaya was the General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Kaduna before his deployment to Operation Hadin Kai.

It was gathered that the appointment of Yahaya,  who is from Sokoto State,  was a bit delayed because the President was trying to weigh the ethnic and religion factors in naming a new COAS.

A source said, “The President finally settled for Yahaya because many of the Generals in Regular Courses 35 and 36 were found to be from the same tribe or same state as other security chiefs in  the Ministry of Defence, National Security Adviser’s office, the Navy and the Air Force.

“For instance, Major General. Jamil Sarham, of Regular Course 36, former Commandant Nigerian Defence Academy  is from Kano, where the Minister of Defence, Major  General. Bashir Magashi (retd.) and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, hail from.

“From all indications no fewer than 25 major generals from courses 35 and 36 will leave the force with the appointment Yahaya.”

The COAS was born on January 5, 1966 in Sifawa, Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

He started his cadet training at the NDA on September 27, 1985 and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps on September 22, 1990.

Notable among the appointments held by the new COAS is Garrison Commander Headquarters Guards Brigade, Directing Staff at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Deputy Director Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary, Deputy Director Army Research and Development and the Chief of Staff, Headquarters Joint Task Force Operation Pulo Shield.

(Punch)